Middle East

Khamenei Issued No Mercy, 'Shoot to Kill' Orders
Khamenei Issued No Mercy, 'Shoot to Kill' Orders

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered Iran's Supreme National Security Council to suppress the protests on January 9 by using "any means necessary," The New York Times reported on Sunday, citing two officials familiar with the matter.  According to the officials, security forces were then deployed to the streets with ...

Rubio Praises Iraq’s Detention of ISIS Members, Warns Against Iranian Influence
Rubio Praises Iraq’s Detention of ISIS Members, Warns Against Iranian Influence

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday praised the Iraqi government’s “initiative and leadership” in accelerating the transfer and detention of ISIS terrorists to secure facilities inside Iraq. According to a U.S. Department of State press release, Rubio held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani in light of recent ...

U.S. Launches Regional Air Readiness Drill in the Middle East
U.S. Launches Regional Air Readiness Drill in the Middle East

The United States will conduct a multi-day air readiness exercise across the Middle East, aimed at demonstrating the ability to deploy, distribute, and sustain combat air capabilities throughout the region, according to a statement issued Sunday by U.S. Central Command, as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the region ...

After Maduro: The Challenge of Dismantling Hezbollah in Venezuela
AnalysisAfter Maduro: The Challenge of Dismantling Hezbollah in Venezuela

After U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 3, Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed that Washington would uproot Hezbollah and Iranian influence in the South American country. “We are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere, in the sphere of control and the crossroads for ...

Iran may have slaughtered 30,000 protesters in intense crackdown - TIME
Iran may have slaughtered 30,000 protesters in intense crackdown - TIME

As many as 30,000 people may have been killed across Iran during a two-day crackdown on January 8 and 9, TIME reported on Sunday, citing two senior Health Ministry officials and a separate compilation of hospital data shared with the publication.  The figures have not been independently verified and far exceed numbers publicly cited by ...

 Why Hezbollah’s Base Is Battling the President Digitally
Why Hezbollah’s Base Is Battling the President Digitally

If Lebanon were a normal country, the presidency would be the one place where politics slows down, where disputes are processed through institutions, where crises are turned into decisions, and where the state, at minimum, performs statehood. But Lebanon is not a normal country. And that is why the recent surge of pro-Hezbollah campaigning ...

2026 NDS: America First Ushers in a New Era of Selective Engagement in the Middle East
Analysis2026 NDS: America First Ushers in a New Era of Selective Engagement in the Middle East

The newly released 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) marks a dramatic pivot in American foreign policy, embracing what officials call “pragmatic realism” while fundamentally redefining U.S. engagement in the Middle East. Under an “America First” framework, the strategy moves away from large-scale military interventions in favor of ...

Hezbollah-Affiliated Al-Akhbar to Scale Back Due to Funding Cuts
Hezbollah-Affiliated Al-Akhbar to Scale Back Due to Funding Cuts

The Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar is carrying out widespread terminations and restructuring amid funding cuts, according to Beirut Time News. According to the report, the financial changes were announced suddenly and without prior notice, as departments were reorganized and employees received cuts in their salaries and ...

More IS Detainees Heading to Iraq from Syria: Iraqi Officials
More IS Detainees Heading to Iraq from Syria: Iraqi Officials

Hundreds of Islamic State group detainees were being transferred from Syria to Iraq on Saturday, the second batch since the US announced plans to relocate the jihadists there, two Iraqi security officials told AFP. "The prisoner transfer operation is ongoing, with US forces transporting detainees by land and air," an Iraqi security official said, ...

Qatar Pledges $480 Million and Plans to Rebuild Three Destroyed Villages in South Lebanon
Qatar Pledges $480 Million and Plans to Rebuild Three Destroyed Villages in South Lebanon

Qatar has decided to allocate $480 million to fund projects and investments in Lebanon, while preparing to rebuild three destroyed villages in the south, according to information obtained by daily An-Nahar. The initiative is reminiscent of Doha’s role in post-war reconstruction following the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. The ...

Salam, Macron Discuss Lebanese Sovereignty, Security and Reforms in Paris
Salam, Macron Discuss Lebanese Sovereignty, Security and Reforms in Paris

On Friday evening, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss Lebanon’s internal reforms and consolidation of state control.  Salam reiterated that the Lebanese state is committed to its goal of confiscating all non-state weapons on Lebanese territory. Macron stated that France will ...